4 Christmas shipping deadlines you need to know

‘Tis the season for giving, with most gifts delivered right to your front door. The United States Postal Service says it expects to deliver 750 million packages this holiday season. If you include Christmas cards and letters, they estimate they’ll deliver 16 billion items of cheer.

The postal service says this is the 5th year in a row they’ve seen an increase in volume, with an increase of 12 percent over last year.

“People are doing more and more buying from their desktop, their tablets and their phones,” said Peter Nowacki, regional USPS spokesperson. “People appreciate the convenience and I think they appreciate the service we provide.”

Nowacki says they are thrilled to see the Eagan, Minnesota distribution center so busy, after the drop off in letters hit the post office hard several years ago. He says online shopping has given the USPS a resurgence.

“Letter mail has fallen off the last ten years. Packages have taken their place,” he said. “So while the internet has taken away, the internet has also given us additional opportunities.”

2016 Christmas shipping deadlines
December 15 – USPS Retail Ground
December 20 – First Class Mail
December 21 – Priority Mail
December 23 – Priority Mail Express